Projected lineup for the Leafs against the Jets
The Leafs have made some changes to their lineup ahead of tonights clash with the Winnipeg Jets. The top two lines of Bunting-Matthews-Marner and Robertson-Tavares-Nylander remain the same. After a two goal debut performance Thursday against the Dallas Stars, which included the overtime winner, it should not come as a surprise that Robertson will get another crack on the second line. After a great training camp, Robertson started the year in the minors. But after Thursday night, it feels like the 21-year-old is here to stay.
The bottom six is getting a makeover. Alexander Kerfoot will center Calle Jarnkrok and Zach Aston-Reese on the third line. Meanwhile, David Kampf will play between Wayne Simmonds and Kyle Clifford on the fourth. This also means Pierre Engvall and Nicolas Aube-Kubel will come out of the lineup for tonight's game. Keefe believes this will give the Leafs a different look in the bottom six. He also feels Simmonds and Clifford bring a lot of energy and some much-needed toughness - something the team needs heading into this road trip.
The defense will start the same way as they looked last game. Morgan Rielly, who played a team high 27 minutes and 19 seconds Thursday night, will continue to be paired alongside T.J. Brodie. Rasmus Sandin, who logged over twenty minutes on Thursday, will play beside Justin Holl again. Sandin came into the year looking for more opportunity, something he got and responded well to Thursday night.
On the third pairing, Mark Giordano will line up beside Victor Mete. Mete played the least of any Leafs defenseman last game, logging just over ten minutes of ice time. This shouldn't come as a surprise, given the fact that it was his first game with the Blue and White. That said, it will be interesting to see if the third pair will get more trust from the coach tonight, or if Keefe will continue to ride Morgan Rielly with heavy minutes.
25-year-old Ilya Samsonov, who has won all three games he has played this season, will start in goal.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 22 | 271 ANSWERS Projected lineup for the Leafs against the Jets What is your biggest surprise for tonights lineup? | ||
| Simmonds in | 33 | 12.2 % |
| Clifford in | 137 | 50.6 % |
| Engvall out | 63 | 23.2 % |
| Aube-Kubel out | 38 | 14 % |
| List of polls | ||
